


Left Behind

by crescendmoon



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Firearms Usage, Gen, Inspired by "The Last of Us", M/M, Mild Descriptions of Gore/Dead Bodies, Reaper76 Big Bang, Who says you can't find love in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, blood/violence, zombie apocalypse AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-03 00:10:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11520432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescendmoon/pseuds/crescendmoon
Summary: Year 20XX. An infectious outbreak causes the United States to fall into ruin, and Jack and Gabriel desperately want answers. But one thing they do know is that it's not the infected they should be worried about. It's the humans.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is my entry for the Reaper76 Big Bang on Tumblr!  
> It was so difficult for me to choose a theme, but in the end I chose a zombie apocalypse AU bc 1) I'm unoriginal, and 2) Zombie Apocalypse AUs are my shit.  
> There are four chapters in total, which I plan on uploading each between small spans of time. I hope you all enjoy it!

_It had occurred so suddenly, that I didn’t even realize something had happened until it was already too late. There was some weird mutation in a patient at the hospital; someone with some sort of blood disease, and it caused that person to lash out as if being controlled by something else. There were swollen cysts all over their body; And soon, they were screaming that they couldn’t see…that they were in intense pain._

_That was only the beginning. That person spread the grotesque mutation, and like wildfire it turned into an outbreak. Chaos ravaged through Los Angeles, then the entire Midwest, and soon the entire United States. It was unknown whether or not it had spread even further throughout the world; the United States government issued a state of emergency, and everyone not infected were placed under strict martial law. All branches of the military were ordered to protect us from those that were beyond saving. They believed that by setting up quarantine zones for the healthy to live in, everything would be alright, and for a period of time, that had been the case. But in a crapsack world like this one, nothing good lasts forever._

_People began to get paranoid. And then the food shortages happened. A few brave souls resorted to killing other people to steal food rations. The Los Angeles Quarantine Zone was truly hell on earth, and it was torture just to survive in a place the military claimed to be safe. But hey, anything was better than fending off those THINGS, right?_

_Over time, the citizens of the United States came up with a name for those creatures:_ Contagion _. It had been a little over a year since the outbreak began, and scientists still haven’t found a cure; many have deemed it hopeless and chose to end their suffering. Some took it upon themselves to form violent groups who would do anything to survive, no matter the cost. And me? I was just an ordinary citizen; a kindergarten teacher, actually, before the world went straight to shit. Now I’m living in a smaller quarantine zone just outside of the infamous LA Zone, working as an information gatherer—that’s the umbrella term, anyway. In reality, I perform recon outside the two zones and make sure no wandering contagion or hunters break in._

_My name is Jack Morrison. I didn’t ask for this life, but I don’t intend to die. Not yet._

**—Present Day—**

 

“Jack, one /walker/ to your left. It looks to be in pain; end its pain as swiftly as you can.”

Jack readied his rifle and took aim. The /walker/ didn’t even noticed his presence, probably due to the immense pain surging through its body. He exhaled slowly, and pulled the trigger. The /walker’s/ body fell limp to the floor. Jack made sure not to get any of the blood on his body, or risk getting infected himself. He clicked on his comm.

“Target neutralized. What’s your current position?”

A soft chuckle. “Right above you.”

Before Jack could even look up, someone dropped down from a tree branch to land right in front of him. A woman with long black hair that was beginning to gray, and a sniper rifle caringly tucked in her arms.

“You have given me more heart attacks than those damned contagion, Ana.” Jack sighed as he lowered his rifle. “A little help would have been nice.”

Ana Amari. Former sniper for the Egyptian Special Forces and a woman who deserved utmost respect. She had immigrated to the United States about a decade ago, and got a job at the same school that Jack had taught kindergarten, which was how they met. That was also where Ana met the love of her life; Jack never knew his name, but he was certainly a looker. Native American, if he had to take a guess. Ana fell head over heels for the man, and soon they had gotten married and had a baby; a daughter they had named Fareeha. Jack had never seen Ana so happy…and that’s why when the outbreak happened, it absolutely broke his heart to see that once always-smiling woman to collapse into tears. Her husband and daughter were killed by the contagion during the initial outbreak. Through a stroke of bad luck, her late husband had taken Fareeha to the doctor for a check-up; the same hospital that the mutation occurred. They didn’t stand a chance. But luckily, Ana and Jack managed to reunite and Jack helped Ana get back on her feet.

“And miss those excellent aiming skills of yours? I think not.” Ana patted Jack on the back. “I see that your blond hair has lost some of its color. Less golden, more…dull lemon.”

Jack rolled his eyes and they both walked back to the walls surrounding the Pasadena Quarantine Zone. The business they were in was against the martial law order and if caught, they would be subjected to an immediate execution. It was a good thing that while forming this business of protecting innocents where the military has failed, Ana had noticed a fault in one of the back walls, and a secret entrance was born. It took a week to hide it effectively enough, but that had been the way they have used to escape the zone ever since.

“Any word about our contact from the LA Zone?” Jack offered Ana a hand as she crouched through the secret entrance. She graciously took it.

“No word yet…I have a feeling things aren’t as peaceful there as it is here.” Ana sighed and dusted off her knees. “Not that it was ever truly peaceful here…”

Their contact was a woman by the name of Angela Ziegler. She was enlisted by the military to help the injured; she was and still is one of the best doctors in Los Angeles. She was also a friend of Jack’s before the outbreak, and thus made an important ally. Through her influence, she had been able to smuggle out small quantities of medicine to the Pasadena Zone if troubles arose. However, it had been four months since the last transport, and they haven’t heard from her since.

Jack was beginning to get worried. “I hope she’s okay.”

“Angela is a strong young woman. She can easily manage a horde of contagion.” Ana smirked slightly, albeit a bit forced. Jack knew that Ana was just as worried as he was. “For now, we’ll just have to wait. Come, let’s see if we can get some food rations for the night.”

.

.

.

An explosion jolted Jack from his sleep. He hastily got up from the old bed he was lying on and grabbed his rifle and a combat knife; that explosion was too close for comfort. And the screams of terror from the streets below…that was something Jack hoped to never hear again.

He ran from the run-down apartment building he called a safehouse and saw just what kind of damage had been done. A gaping hole was blown out from the eastern wall, and armed civilians were flooding in. Hunters.

Without warning, they raided the stores of whatever they could find, and began shooting at any poor human who dared to cross their path. He could hear the screams of people he had come to know over the months as he helped them out and protected them from contagion. He heard _children_ as they cried frantically trying to escape the clutches of the hunters, who were coldly loading their guns and aiming at them without so much as a hesitation. Such a sight made Jack absolutely livid, but he knew that he was only one man, and without the element of stealth on his side, there was no way he could take down a group that big.

He carefully snuck around the back of a few shops, hoping not to draw any attention to himself. It was a cowardly move on his part, but he knew that he just HAD to get to the secret entrance. If he knew one thing about hunters, it was that they left no survivors. If Jack were to have a say in it, he would agree that hunters were probably the worst thing to be born from this awful world, even worse than the contagion. Sure, the contagion were deadly, but they were also easy to predict and take down if given the right equipment. But hunters were human, and when backed into a corner and driven by the intense desire to survive, they were capable of ANYTHING. The hunters were unpredictable, and were able to think for themselves, something that the contagion lost the ability to do. He couldn’t wait around any longer, he had to escape. His mind shifted to Ana for a split second, then left. Ana could take care of herself, with that he was certain.

He could see the secret entrance; it was just a few meters away from him now—

“Hey! There’s one more still alive and kicking!”

Shit. Shit shit shit. C’mon Jack, move!

He broke out into a sprint as he dove for the secret entrance, and a few shots rang out. His heart skipped a beat, but he managed to avoid getting shot. The Pasadena Zone was now hunter territory, and with it, the place Jack once called his home.

“…Well shit. Now what.” Jack huffed under his breath as he looked around at his surroundings. He’s surveyed the area around the zone enough times to know where he was, but where should he GO? The closest zone was the LA Zone, but that was like walking towards your own execution.

He heard some shrill shrieking in the distance. /Howlers/.

/Walkers/ were the stage 1 contagion; They were the easiest to kill, and most of them just stood still in agony either to wait for the end or slowly and painfully become even more unhuman.

/Howlers/, on the other hand, were stage 2 and possibly the most deadly. You could tell a /Howler/ was nearby by the ear-pitching screams they would send out. Some could say that the agony reached a whole other level upon becoming a /Howler/, but at this point, all human functions ceased and the infection would soon take over. Their eyes would be swollen shut by large growths and cysts, and would rely on their incredible sense of smell to find their prey. Those large growths also hardened over their skin like armor; simple melee strategies could never take them down. Unless you had a firearm of some sort, it was best to avoid coming into direct contact with a /Howler/.

Those sounds sent a chill down Jack’s spine and he decided that the LA Zone was worth the risk.

.

.

.

The LA Zone was even worse than Jack had anticipated. To say that total anarchy had occurred in the once booming city was an understatement. Buildings were in ruins from explosions. Graffiti everywhere; and to Jack’s horror, there were bodies of military guards strung up like Christmas ornaments on walls and lamp posts. Whoever the head decorator was must have had a sick sense of humor.

The pools of blood on the broken pavement and the blood that smeared the walls was quite concerning, as well. Anyone who had as much as a papercut could become infected in this city.

Jack had little time to assess the situation, however, because the loud shrieking directly behind him sent his mind in a tailspin. A /Howler/ was running at him. His rifle; he needed to get his rifle. He aimed it at the /Howler/, but his adrenaline was doing him no favors and he only grazed the /Howler’s/ shoulder, halting it for a moment before it came at him. And if there was one /Howler/, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the shrieking attracted more. And so, he broke out into a run. He needed to find a place to hide, but he wasn’t familiar with the inner workings of Los Angeles after the outbreak. The scenery was vastly different than before.

He caught sight of the US Bank Tower, now completely toppled over on its side, and decided that would be a good place to make refuge. He climbed into one of the broken windows and sat as still as he could, making sure not to make a sound. The /Howlers/ he had managed to outrun were growing restless over losing a meal, and they ran by Jack’s hiding spot to find another source of food. Jack let out a long breath of relief that he didn’t even realize he was holding.

But that relief was short-lived, for the click of a gun sounded right behind his head. Jack had let his guard down.

“Who the fuck are you, _Gringo_?” The mystery man rasped. Jack would have thought the man’s voice sounded too beautiful for the setting they were in, but that was drowned out by the fact that this man was the deciding factor on whether Jack lived or died right then and there.

Jack slowly rose his hands up. “I mean no harm—“

“Where are you from?!” The man’s voice rose slightly.

“…The Pasadena Zone.” Jack made no attempts to look over his shoulder. “The Zone got taken over by hunters. I managed to escape and found myself here.”

He heard the man click his tongue with distaste. “And you thought the LA Zone of all fucking places was a good place to relocate? You got a death wish?” Another click. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blow your brains out right here and now, _Cabron.”_

Jack needed to come up with an excuse, and fast. “Look, I’m not infected and I’m sure as hell not a hunter. Give me a full-body check if you want.”

A hum. “Fine. On your feet.”

Jack sighed and stood up, his hands on the wall and his legs spread apart. In one swift motion, the unknown man patted practically every inch of his body from top to bottom.

Once the man was satisfied at finding nothing, he put his gun away. “Do you have a name, or should I just call you _gringo_?”

Jack turned to look at the man, and if he were to be honest, it felt as if the wind was knocked right out of his lungs. Tall, dark and handsome was the first thing to come to Jack’s mind, but he was so much more. He had a mustache and short beard, had a few long scars across his face, and wore combat boots with gray pants and a gray hoodie. A beanie added to the look of a rugged criminal, but for some reason, Jack had a feeling this man was anything but.

“…Just…Jack.”

The man scoffed. “Well, _Just Jack_ , you do realize where you wandered into, right?”

“Yeah, didn’t exactly have anywhere to go…” Jack scratched the back of his head. “Would rather at least be near _some_ form of civilization than out in the wilderness.”

A hum. “The wilderness would probably be better than this hell hole. Things aren’t exactly unicorns and rainbows here.”

“Look, are you gonna tell me your name? Or am I going to have find my own way around this place?” Jack glared in frustration.

The man smirked, and for a second Jack thought he would stop breathing. “Gabriel. And you say that as if expecting me to actually _show you around_.” But nonetheless, Gabriel gestured for Jack to keep up, as they made their way out of the US Bank Tower and onto the main road. Some screeching could be heard in the distance, but Gabriel assured Jack that it was too far away to be immediately concerning. At least, they were away from any /Howlers/…that didn’t take into account the insane amount of blood that pooled in front of two cafés just outside.

Gabriel let out a string of curses. “We can’t go down that way. Over here, _Gringo_ , gotta take the back alley.”

“Thought you said you wouldn’t call me that if I told you my name.” Jack grumbled.

Gabriel snorted. “I made no such promise. Now shut up and follow me. And keep your head down.”

They cut through a run-down courthouse…must have been in the Civic Center district of the city, Jack thought. They ducked under the partially-collapsed ceiling, making sure that they didn’t cut themselves on any broken glass or wood chippings along the way. A few dead /Howlers/ and /Walkers/ littered the hallways; it was certainly a disgusting scene, one that had Jack force his gag reflex down. The strong stench of iron was unbearable.

They almost made it to the back end of the courthouse when Gabriel stopped him abruptly. Jack would have scowled at him for the forceful hand that was currently pressing down on his chest, but relented when Gabriel glared intently at the hallway that branched off from the main one. That’s when Jack heard it; a faint gurgling noise.

“ _Mierda_ …” Gabriel clenched his teeth. “Hope you know how to use that rifle of yours.”

Jack carefully reached for said rifle. “Why? What’s that noise?”

As if right on cue, the gurgling noise got louder, and out from the side hallway _something_ emerged. It was tall and large, and it looked like the flesh was outright rotting off of its body. It’s eyes were completely gone, and its mouth was wide open to show broken but sharp teeth and a bloated tongue. Jack took a slight step back.

“What the fuck is _that_?” Jack whispered in a panicked tone.

In one swift motion, Gabriel pulled out a double-barreled shotgun. “Welcome to the Los Angeles Zone, Jack.” And he shot at the thing’s legs. The cry that thing let out was low and choked, nothing like the ones the /Howlers/ used. But what was even worse, was that from the bullet hole spewed out a reddish-brown liquid; infected blood. Jack had never seen a contagion like this before, and for the first time since the initial outbreak, he was legitimately terrified.

Once the thing regained a steady stance, it slowly made its way towards them, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Jack could have sworn that he saw the thing’s jaw actually _unhinge_ , because its mouth got even wider than before, giving them a perfect view of those teeth. This thing was hungry. Starving, even.

“We need to get out of here, and fast.” Gabriel gritted through his teeth. “We won’t survive for a minute in this place while it has called it home. And I don’t have any molotovs to speed up the process.”

Jack didn’t waste any time asking much-needed questions; that could wait until after they lost the eldritch monster right in front of them. Gabriel shot the thing in the head, stunning it long enough for them to make a run for it. Jack could hear the gurgling noises getting louder and louder, until—

“What the fuck is THAT?!” Jack couldn’t help but shout as he witnessed the thing bloat up like a balloon.

Gabriel picked up the pace. “Shit, it’s been here longer than I thought. Put into simple terms, _gringo_ , that thing is about to die in the worst way possible. And it’s bad for US, not itself.”

The gurgling reached an all-point high and just as Gabriel and Jack reached a window to the outside, a small explosion could be heard.

“The fuck are you doing?! MOVE!”

Jack felt Gabriel’s hand forcibly push him through the window, and he landed flat on his side. Gabriel landed on his feet right next to him, and they were immediately assaulted by the foul stench of rotting meat and blood.

Once Jack caught his breath, he looked at the window he had just fallen from for a few seconds, and then grabbed Gabriel by the collar of his jacket. “Are you gonna tell me what the fuck that thing was?!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Not exactly a patient man, are you? Tch.” Gabriel wrenched Jack’s hands off of him and glared daggers. “Here’s a little lesson for you, _Jack_. That thing you just saw? It’s called a /polluter/. All that blood you saw flooding the streets? These things are the cause. This is what happens to a person when they’ve been infected for a long time, and their purpose is to continue to spread the infection. THIS—“ Gabriel gestured all around them. “—Is how the LA Zone is. Everyone still alive wishes they were dead; majority who lasted this long resorted to committing suicide. So trust me when I tell you this, Jack, the LA Zone is not the place you want to be. Go back to your little Pasadena quarantine.”

Jack bit his lip. There wasn’t exactly anywhere else he could go, though. The hunters have probably completely taken over the Pasadena Zone by now…and he still had no idea where Ana was, if she was even still alive. Still, he had to remain firm. “…Why are _you_ still here then? You must have some reason for sticking around in this hellhole. What’s YOUR story?”

A beat of silence. And then a laugh.

Jack’s eyes widened upon seeing Gabriel laugh like he had gone mad. Even worse, loud noises could potentially attract /howlers/ to their location. Did Gabriel just not care about what happened to them? The very thought made Jack’s blood boil.

“What the hell is so funny?” Jack said through clenched teeth.

Gabriel brought his face closer to Jack’s and smirked. Jack swore that he could feel the other man’s breath on his lips. “I’m already dead, Jack. My body might still be alive, but my soul died a long time ago.” He could feel a hand tip his chin up so he was now staring up at Gabriel’s eyes. And then, that smirk turned into a menacing scowl that shivered Jack to the core. “My _story_ ain’t none of your damned business. We’re not friends, hell we’re not even acquaintances. And unless you want your brain matter strewn all around your lifeless body, I suggest you continue on your way and get the fuck out of my city.”

Gabriel backed off from Jack and stormed off. Jack could only watch the man leave, and let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Working with strangers was never in Gabriel's best interest, but if it means finding answers, then so be it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning: Descriptions of scars/cuts on live persons**

Jack slept in a small alcove that night; the remains of the small business office gave him some sense of security that he would at least be able to hear and see a contagion creeping up on him with enough warning to get out of there as quickly as he could. He still couldn’t escape those words that Gabriel had spat at him earlier that night, despite all his efforts to do so. Those words that couldn’t help but manifest under his skin. Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen or heard from Gabriel since then; why would he? After all, they had just barely met and the man had saved Jack from near certain death, and yet somehow Jack had still managed to fuck shit up with whatever he said to piss Gabriel off.

He let out a frustrated groan and stood up from his shelter. There was no way that he would be getting back to sleep that night, and so decided maybe he should explore and familiarize himself with his surroundings more. He carefully climbed over some rubble, making sure not to make any sudden noises that could attract unneeded attention from contagion and hunters alike. He doubted that there would be any ‘normal’ people foolish enough to wander around in the LA Zone besides himself, so that was some reassurance that he wouldn’t accidentally blow some innocent person’s brains out. Once out onto the main street, he let his eyes focus themselves and then looked towards the sky. Fuck, even without the many skyscrapers and lights, it was _still_ near impossible to see the stars. He grunted as he brought his attention back to the abandoned stores and destroyed rubble, and reached for his rifle. Better safe than sorry in this world, although he ironically thought that even with an outbreak of monsters running around, it seemed more peaceful than how LA was before shit happened. Except now, everyone was homeless, and the gang violence morphed into a fight for survival on all fronts.

The sound of screeching broke Jack out of his thoughts and he readied his rifle, focusing his hearing to see if he could pinpoint where it was coming from. Closer than he thought, unfortunately, because one lone /howler/ damn near flung itself at Jack before he could react fully. Jack hissed as his elbow hit the ground with a thud, and he used the butt of his rifle to force the /howler/. He didn’t have a good shot, and he was afraid that shooting at it would attract others to his location. Melee attacks were out, obviously. The only thing he could do was climb up a destroyed wall and sit there and pray that the /howler/ would lose interest. The good thing about /howlers/ is that without eyesight or good motor controls, it was impossible for them to climb up things that were too vertical.

And so, he waited. The /howler/ could obviously smell him as it kept bringing its attention to the stone wall that he was perched on. It began to make mild shrieking noises and he had his rifle trained on it the entire time. If it made any noise louder than a car horn, he would risk his rifle fire to shoot the thing dead. That moment never came, however. Like the silent kiss of death, a bullet whizzed past his head and the /howler/ dropped to the ground. Jack let out an anxious breath.

“Even now I still have to watch your back.”

That voice was like music to his ears. He turned around slowly and saw Ana perched in a nearby tree, a big smile on her face.

“Ana…” Jack dropped to the ground and watched as Ana did the same. He then wasted no time in pulling her into an embrace. “What the hell happened to you?! I thought…I thought I lost you back at the Pasadena Zone…”

Ana returned the embrace. “I am sorry, Jack. When the hunters ravaged the area, I was already awake and doing some last minute recon. I figured you would be keen enough to get yourself out of there so I made my way to the LA Zone ahead of you.” Her eyes saddened as they parted from each other. “This place…it truly is an awful place, isn’t it?”

Jack nodded in understanding. “Yeah…so much senseless violence, and not all of it was from contagion. How humans could kill each other even in these times is just…it’s unthinkable.” Jack’s gaze landed on the bodies of military soldiers hanging by their necks on trees and lamp posts, as if they were a reminder of how cruel the world truly was.

“I think it would be best if we find Angela.” Ana stated with a slight edge of concern. “She was stationed at the UCLA medical center if I remember correctly…I do hope she’s alright.”

Jack sighed. “We haven’t heard from her in weeks, but there’s no doubt that she’s alive. She’s trained in dealing with contagion and she’s a lot tougher than she looks.” Or at least, that’s what Jack had to tell himself to avoid thinking about the worst. Angela might have experience in handling a weapon as well as hand-to-hand combat, but she was still only a doctor; unlike Jack and Ana, her profession involved healing those that required it, which also gave Angela a rather pacifist attitude. If she ended up making contact with hunters, not even Jack could say if she would fight back to defend herself. “Let’s find a place to rest. We can head out in the morning…” Assuming they don’t run into any more trouble.

Ana agreed.

.

.

.

Morning came and went, and surprisingly so far their journey to UCLA Medical Center was rather uneventful. A few stray /walkers/ here and there, and thankfully they haven’t come across any /polluters/. Before they knew it, they had reached UCLA, home of the Bruins. Jack had fond memories of this place; his alma mater had definitely seen better days. What was once a proud community was now reduced to overgrowth and blood-smeared walls. Not to mention the piles of dead bodies that seemed to be around every corner. Most of them weren’t even contagion, but _students_. Ana had to cover her mouth and look away as they inspected the area. Jack could only bite his lip and frown, trying his best not to think about how these students were killed and who killed them.

“Jack, look at this.”

Jack brought his attention to a wall that Ana was pointing at. On it was an insignia of some sort; it was red, white and black, a circle around what looked like an elongated ‘V’.

His expression must have tipped Ana off that he had no idea what the insignia meant, so Ana filled in the blanks. “This is the symbol of a group of hunters known as _Blackwatch_. This can only mean that they made UCLA their territory.”

“Hunters, you said?” Jack grimaced. He expected there would be hunters around the LA Zone, but if they had to pass through hunter territory to get to the medical center, things could go south real fast, and they didn’t have the resources to deal with an ambush.

Ana chuckled. “I’ve heard about a group of hunters in the LA Zone who work to keep whatever peace that’s left. Guess these particular hunters aren’t of the same cloth as the ones we’re familiar with.”

Jack couldn’t even begin to think that there were hunters out there that were _good_. They were called hunters for a reason, and that involved hunting down _humans_ and killing them to gain extra resources. They didn’t give a damn about morals or that they all had a common enemy in the contagion; the only thing they cared about was themselves. “You can’t be serious, Ana. Hunters don’t care about people or how much violence they create.”

All he got in response was a hum. With a long sigh, they pushed forward; couldn’t exactly get anywhere if they just stayed in the same place staring at a wall all day. The peace was short-lived, however, when they reached an open quad area and a bullet flew right by Jack’s face, narrowly missing his left eye.

“Sniper!” Jack and Ana ducked behind a broken wall and readied their weapons. “Can you get a line of sight?”

The second Ana tried to poke her head out, another bullet rang out. “Negative. Our sniper most likely has the high ground. It’s going to be difficult to get a clear view, especially with many obstructions.”

_“¿Qué tal?”_

A gun was pointed directly in front of Ana’s face. Jack was so stunned that it took him a few seconds before he raised his rifle and pointed it at the assailant.

“Don’t even think about it, _Cabron_.” The assailant, a woman with long hair dyed purple and half her head shaved, was grinning at them, her gun still trained on Ana and her finger on the trigger. “You’re in Blackwatch territory, and make no mistake, we don’t take lightly to intruders.” She clicked her gun. “Especially if they’re overconfident hunters who think they have an advantage over us.”

Ana shot Jack a glare and discreetly shook her head while the unknown woman’s attention was fully on him.

“Okay, look.” Jack slowly set his rifle on the ground next to him and raised his hands up. “We’re not hunters. We ended up in this area _because_ hunters ransacked our quarantine zone.”

The woman rose her eyebrow, but lowered her gun ever so slightly. “So what _are_ you two doing here? Surely it is not to simply…pass on through.”

Ana set her sniper rifle on the ground as well. “We were heading towards the UCLA Medical Center. An informant and friend of ours is a doctor there but we haven’t heard from her in weeks. We just want to make sure she is alright.”

The woman’s expression looked conflicted for a slight second. “There hasn’t been any activity at the medical center for a month. Whoever your friend is, she’s no longer there.”

Before either of them could answer, another woman landed beside the one in front of them. Her expression was cold and malicious, and her long ponytail flew elegantly behind her. “We do not have time for this. Gabriel is wondering what is taking us so long and why we left our posts.”

That caught Jack’s attention. “Wait, did you just say _Gabriel_?”

The women brought their attention back to Jack. He remained firm. “I ran into him while looking around the city. He’s a member of Blackwatch?”

The women looked at each other, then the purple-haired one spoke up. “I’m surprised you don’t have a bullet between your eyes, _Gringo_.” She smirked. “How about I reunite you two? I trust it’ll make your while?”

The long-haired one crossed her arms. “Sombra.”

So ‘Sombra’ was her name? The one called Sombra rolled her eyes. “Relax, _Widowmaker_. If this _gringo_ knows Gabe, then perhaps he can be of use to us.”

Jack and Ana were then forced up from their positions and pulled along by the so-called ‘Sombra’ and ‘Widowmaker’. As they walked past debris and broken pipelines, they were quickly made all too aware that there were people staring at them; from lookout points, broken windows, doorways…and they were all armed. Jack couldn’t help but nudge Ana’s shoulders ever so slightly, and judging by the her stiff posture, she was just as anxious as he was. This could either be really good, or turn into their worst nightmare in the blink of an eye.

“Where are we headed, exactly?” Jack risked speaking up. Widowmaker just shot him a death glare in response and continued walking. Sombra chuckled but made no effort to answer him either, and so the walk was brought to complete and utter silence. It wasn’t until they were brought to an large empty building save for a few stalls and flipped tables—Jack assumed it used to be the school’s cafeteria—that the two women forced them to a complete halt.

“Oi, Reaper. Got some stragglers searching around the perimeter.” Sombra shouted. “Claimed to know you.”

The man that showed himself was all too familiar to Jack, right down to the cheekbones and, dare he say it, thighs. One look at Jack’s pale complexion and Gabriel rose a suspicious eyebrow. “Didn’t think you would have the guts to continue looking around, _Gringo_ , much less end up in Blackwatch territory.” Gabriel then scowled. “The fuck are you doing here?”

Ana crossed her arms. “We came here looking for our informant, who was supposed to be stationed at the UCLA Medical Center.”

Gabriel glared at her, then back at Jack. “Your girlfriend sure is a fiery one.”

“She’s not my—“ Jack started, but Gabriel ignored him.

“Look, _Señora_.” Gabriel walked up to Ana and brought his face mere inches from hers. “No one is there. Everyone who was working so hard to find a cure up and left almost as soon as they had begun.” His face looked pained. “Your friend is probably dead, end of story.”

Ana held her ground. “Her name is Angela Ziegler. Do you know her?”

That got a surprised reaction out of him. “…Ziegler?”

All of a sudden, it was as if the air around them froze over. Sombra and Widowmaker glared at the ground, and Gabriel’s expression went from shock to anger in the blink of an eye.

Sombra pointed an accusatory finger at Jack’s chest. “If I’d have known you were friends with the _Ángel de la Muerte_ herself, I would have riddled your bodies with bullets the second I showed myself.” She hissed. “Do you have any idea what that woman put us through?!”

Jack and Ana grew more confused and concerned with every word that was spoken to them. Ana held up a hand. “Now wait, did you just call Angela the…’Angel of Death’? That definitely does not sound like the Angela we know.”

Widowmaker spit in her direction. “Your little friend put us through hell…before we were Blackwatch, we were just a bunch of strangers struggling to survive in the LA Zone. But then the good doctor had to ruin everything.”

None of this was making any sense. Angela was perhaps one of the sweetest people on the face of the planet, and not even an outbreak as bad as this one could have changed that. What happened to the friend they once knew, Jack wondered.

“...Not long after the outbreak happened, every remaining doctor and nurse gathered together in the hopes of finding a cure.” Gabriel glared. “They weren’t sure where to begin; first they began dissecting dead bodies that were infected to see just how the infection affected the body within, to no avail. But who should come along than the great Angela Ziegler.” The venom seeped through in Gabriel’s voice. “With no other leads to go off of, she led a team and began to round up people that were still alive. She told us that we were helping the world find a cure…what started as a simple examination turned into human experimentation. They fucking cut us up and put us through pain and torture, all without anesthetic.”

Jack and Ana stared in horror as Gabriel removed his shirt and saw the many incision marks and badly healed stitches, including one very large incision straight down the middle of his stomach. The uneasiness in their stomachs only escalated when Sombra and Widowmaker removed their jackets and shirts as well. Sombra had two long crudely stitched-up gashes that wrapped around the right side of her torso, and so many smaller slash marks all over her body that it was impossible to count them all. Widowmaker had a circular scar over her left breast, right where her heart was, as if they were attempting to remove the organ responsible for keeping the woman alive. Upon closer inspection, Jack also noticed that there were patches of hair on Widowmaker’s head that were growing at an uneven rate, indicating to him that at some point, her head must have been cut open as well. It was all too much to take it at once, and upon glancing at Ana, he noticed that she was using all the willpower she had just to keep standing.

“There…there’s no way that Angela…” Jack had to hold Ana up as she began to breathe heavily.

“…We need to find her, and fast.” Jack wasn’t sure how much was truth, but the evidence in front of them was certainly too alarming to immediately discredit the accusations. He turned to the three in front of them as they redressed. “Do you three have any idea where the medical personnel might have gone?”

Sombra and Widowmaker looked at each other, and Gabriel crossed his arms. “While I was recovering in one of the hospital rooms, I overheard a doctor talk about relocating to Chicago. The next day, they all just up and left, leaving us for dead, basically. Fucking bastards…couldn’t figure out a cure from live victims so they tried to leave their mistakes behind, the cowards.”

Shit. Chicago was halfway across the United States; without a car, there was no way they would make it there in good time. Hell, walking _anywhere_ might as well be signing a death contract. But they still had to try. They needed answers, and just standing around wasn’t going to accomplish anything.

“We need to head to Chicago, Ana.” Jack let go of her once he believed her to be okay. “There’s no way that Angela would have made the decision herself to do such despicable things.”

Ana sighed but nodded. “Where would we find a car that can still run, though?”

A clearing of the throat brought their gazes back onto Gabriel. “Just as you have some informants, I have mine. There’s two guys who live in the San Diego Zone; both of them are skilled mechanics and can get even a rusted over car up and running if they have the supplies. Not much to go on, but it’s a start.” He let out a long breath. “I’ll go with you two.”

Everyone around him widened their eyes in shock of varying degrees. Sombra was the first to speak up. “The hell are you talking about, Gabe?! You’re going to help strangers go halfway across the fucking country to reunite them with the same woman who made our lives more miserable than it already was?!”

Gabriel just held up his hand. “I need some answers from the good doctor, too. If she was still in LA, I wouldn’t hesitate to put a shotgun round through her skull, but she’s not.”

“You are not going with us just to get revenge, are you?” Jack asked through gritted teeth. “We’ll take our chances getting their ourselves if that’s the case.”

Gabriel smirked. “You wouldn’t last two days without me to navigate and you know it, _Jackie_.”

Jack sputtered at the rather affectionate nickname that only his mother had ever called him before then. He was sure that his ears were turning red and he hastily turned to face Ana. “What’s the plan?”

Ana chuckled at Jack’s flustered expression. “Regardless of what his motives are, it’s true that without him, I doubt we would be able to get much done.”

Widowmaker sighed. “I don’t like this plan, Gabriel. We have stayed in the LA Zone since the outbreak. We don’t know what’s out there save for what our informants have told us.”

Gabriel placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, you know as well as I do that anyone who crosses me, be it a contagion or hunter, will end up dead before they hit the ground. But while I’m away, I’m leaving you in charge.” He then turned to Sombra. “Help her run this place, will you? And run security checks on every gate and door around the premises. Don’t want any contagion coming in.”

Sombra saluted him with a smirk. “ _¡Lo tiene, Capitán!_ ”

With a nod, Gabriel ushered Jack and Ana to follow him into a darkened room, with little light other than a gas lamp. He looked around on all the shelves and inside cabinets, gathering supplies. “You know how to use a shotgun?” He directed towards Jack.

Jack nodded with a bit of uneasiness. “Just like a rifle, I’d imagine?”

With a huff, Gabriel handed him a pump-action shotgun. “Kinda. But with one hell of a kick-back if you’re not prepared.”

He eyed Ana and her sniper rifle that was fastened to her backpack. “Sniper?”

“I was a sniper for the Egyptian Special Forces before moving to the United States. Do not worry, I am skilled in combat.” Ana took pride in what she did for her home country, despite her feelings towards violence. She believed that as long as it was for a good cause and protected those she cared about, she was doing the right thing.

“Hah! At least one of you has experience.” Gabriel laughed which made Jack scowl. “Well, this should be all the supplies we need for now…I’m sure we’ll find more shit as we travel. Thankfully, the San Diego QZ is one of the more safe places at the moment…no doubt because of who lives there.”

As they left, Gabriel sent Widowmaker and Sombra one last nod and smile, and the three of them traversed the gate to reach the outside. So much foliage that under different circumstances, Jack might have thought it was quite beautiful.

Widowmaker and Sombra watched in silence as their leader left Blackwatch to help the strangers. Neither of them were okay with it, but they knew better than to question Gabriel Reyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio gets some much needed help from two mechanics; one's the silent type, and the other loves to cause explosions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Major character death, and lots of explosives use.

The trek down to the San Diego QZ was a rather uneventful one, surprisingly. The military had long since abandoned the LA Zone, so there was little to no resistance when leaving. And thanks to Ana and her sniper rifle, they were able to kill any contagion that lurked near them. Thankfully, there weren’t as many /howlers/, and /walkers/ were by far the easiest to bring down if they played their cards right. The best part, however, was that they hadn’t come across a single /polluter/ since that night Jack had first met Gabriel, which was a blessing. They took turns keeping lookout while the remaining two slept, and within a week of near constant walking they had made it to San Diego. It was like a concrete jungle, certainly not like the LA Zone which sported many toppled-over buildings and overgrowth of foliage that seemed to seep from the building debris. As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for the boarded up doors, broken windows, and dead bodies littering the streets, Jack might have thought that the outbreak never even reached this area.

“So who are these friends of yours? The ones that can get us a car.” Jack asked Gabriel as his eyes wandered from abandoned building to building. “This place looks kinda…desolate.”

Gabriel scratched the back of his neck. “They’re mechanics, like I told you. Two nutjobs if you ask me, but after the outbreak happened they sorta made the SDQZ their domain.” All of a sudden he forced Jack and Ana to stop walking and glared at the dirt road beneath them. He knelt down.

“…Gabriel?” Jack knelt down next to him.

Gabriel shushed him and picked up a stick lying on the ground a few inches away, and poked at the ground until—

*SNAP!*

Jack reeled back. “Jesus fuck!”

Ana frowned. “Is that a steel bear-trap?”

“Forgot to mention something to you both.” Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh. “This entire city is most likely booby-trapped. Best stay on my heels.”

Jack and Ana looked at each other, then shrugged and followed Gabriel closely. While on their walk, they not only ran into more bear-traps, but some rope traps (which Ana had to cut Jack down from), a few knife traps (which Jack very narrowly missed getting his throat slashed open), and MANY bomb and explosive traps riddled in almost every nook and cranny (which thankfully Gabriel knew how to disarm so Jack didn’t get all of them killed).

“Jack, I thought I taught you to mind your footing better than that.” Ana grimaced as she used some bandages and alcohol to dress Jack’s wounds. “Maybe I’ll take the rear, hmm? Then I can look out for you before you end up with fewer limbs.”

Jack groaned. “Shut it…we’ve been walking nonstop for so long you’re lucky I’m not hallucinating right now.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “You need to get more exercise. The fuck did you even do before the outbreak to get you so out of shape?”

“For your information, I was a teacher. Teaching screaming five year olds was enough of a chore for me to consider exercise.” Jack frowned as he made sure to watch every step he took or else feel the wrath of Ana Amari. “Definitely enjoyed it, though. I really hope those kids are still alive and surviving in this crapsack world.”

“…Doubt it.” Gabriel stated coldly. “Adults could barely survive out here, and you think some snot-nosed kid can do what an adult can’t?”

Jack glared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Gabriel shrugged. “I’m just telling it like it is. Children need adults to support them; without adults, children won’t survive a minute, especially with hunters and contagion out there.”

“I’d like to think that children are able to fend for themselves when forced to. Children are a lot smarter than you give them credit for.” Jack seethed. He hated thinking about all of the children than have lost their lives to the chaos. His gaze fell upon Ana, who was clutching onto her chest before shooting a sharp glare towards Gabriel.

“From where I’m standing, the two of you are acting quite like children. And as for you, I suggest you think long and hard before speaking another word regarding children in my presence.” And with that, Ana pushed past Gabriel, effectively shoving his shoulder and making him stumble to the side. Gabriel merely rose an eyebrow at the action; Jack knew that Gabriel had no idea what Ana had gone through since the initial outbreak, but said nothing. It was a story that Ana would have to tell Gabriel when she was ready.

It wasn’t until they had reached what had remained of the San Diego Zoo that they began hearing the screeching. It was so loud that Ana had to cover her ears for a split second, and caused Gabriel to swear under his breath.

Jack wasn’t prepared for a body colliding with his. The shrieking was centimeters from his ear, and he fought back with all his might to fend off the /howler/ that was trying desperately to get a bite of his flesh.

Gabriel forcefully kicking the /howler/ off of him allowed Jack enough time to scramble to his feet with Ana’s help. Gabriel then shot the thing point blank with his shotgun, but the celebrations were short-lived. More screeching indicated that they were right in the middle of a horde, and needless to say that just the thought of it made Jack’s blood run cold.

“Get your asses in gear!” Gabriel shouted at the both of them. Jack readied his rifle and ducked behind a broken down car next to Gabriel, while Ana chose to take the high ground to get a better view with her scope.

“I hope you make every shot count, boys.” Ana yelled to them. “There’s quite a bit of /walkers/ and /howlers/ coming our way.” With a carefully aimed shot, Ana put a bullet through a few /walkers/.

Jack brought his head up and fired a round into a /howler/. “You couldn’t take out the more dangerous ones?!”

Ana chuckled. “You two are grown men, I’m sure you can handle them.”

Gabriel smirked as he dove behind an adjacent vehicle and put a bullet through another /howler/. “And I thought _I_ had a sick sense of humor.”

More screeching could be heard in the distance, and ammo was running thin. “We can’t keep this up, Gabriel.” Jack panted out. “We’ll run out of ammo before we can deal with all of them.”

Gabriel bit his lip and looked at Ana’s position. “Can you see how many more are coming to us?”

Ana huffed. “Even in an outbreak and I’m still the one responsible for taking out the trash.” She looked through her scope and saw that sure enough, there were at least a dozen more contagion running towards Jack and Gabriel’s positions. There was no way they would be able to handle it before being completely overwhelmed, so Ana had to think fast. She darted her scope around the area to look for anything they could use, when something caught her eye; a wire-trap, the wire in which was connected to a large pile of nail bombs just to the side of the building that the contagion were about to run past. With a smirk, she aimed at the wire and let a single bullet fly. “Get down!” Was all Jack and Gabriel heard before a massive explosion rattled the surrounding area. Gabriel’s eyes widened and tackled Jack to the floor just in time before shrapnel and pieces of cement flew through the air right above their heads. No more screeching could be heard, and the area was now eerily silent.

Ana dropped down from her perch and whistled. “And that’s how a woman takes care of business.”

Gabriel groaned as he brought his head up from the ground. “That’s one way, I guess. Should’ve expected a bunch of bomb traps even around these parts.”

Jack was stunned into silence before letting out a cough. “Can you…”

Gabriel brought his attention back down to Jack, who was underneath his form and struggling to breath. “Oh, sorry ‘bout that.” Gabriel carefully stood up and helped Jack do the same; he took note of the blush that was threatening to creep across Jack’s entire face and couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “We shouldn’t stick around in this area for too long. Our destination is just a little ways away. Won’t be long now.”

.

.

.

Jack recognized where they were; this was known as the Old Town District. He hadn’t been to this part of San Diego in years, and barely recognized any of the historical structures. What was once the Café Coyote y Cantina was now a pile of rubble and Jack was only able to tell what it was from the location and a the small part of the restaurant that wasn’t in ruins. The wooden remains of the Whaley House was still pretty intact, surprisingly, save for the broken windows and a gaping hole in the side of the building.

“Perhaps even the contagion are terrified of ghost stories, huh Jack?” Ana chuckled as they walked closer to the building in question.

Jack shivered. “Can’t exactly blame them, but seeing as this is one of the few buildings that’s not completely boarded up, we should at least look to see if there’s some supplies lying around that we could use.”

Gabriel didn’t protest and slowly walked towards the hole in the wall. “Take caution, no idea who or what could be lurking in here.”

With a nod, Jack readied his rifle and slowly walked into the building, climbing over the fallen furniture and surveying the area. The sound of a loud crack and creaking forced Jack to look up and his eyes widened as he jumped out of the way of a falling piece of ceiling.

“Jack!” Ana hurried over to him. “You alright?”

Jack panted. “Yeah, damn ceiling is falling apart.”

“Hey guys, in here.”

Jack and Ana followed the sound of Gabriel’s voice to the old Whaley Courthouse within the home. “Find something?”

They found Gabriel knelt down next to one of the court booths. “Someone must’ve used this place as a hideout at some point. Found a revolver and some loose ammo.” He eyed the barrel of the revolver and loaded the ammo into it. He cocked it and upon seeing that it was in good condition, holstered it on his jeans. “Let’s look around the area some more. Haven’t come across a single sign of my informants…” He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Hope those sons of bitches didn’t up and leave.”

As they were leaving the building, a loud gurgling sound stopped them in their tracks.

“Fucking hell.” Gabriel glanced at Jack, who nodded back at him albeit with a little more anxiety. The gurgling sound got closer, but what alarmed Gabriel the most was that the gurgling sounds were mismatched. It only took a couple of seconds for Gabriel to find out why; not one, but _two_ /polluters/ were in the next building and were intent on hobbling towards their source of food. This was perhaps one of the worst case scenarios; if they tried to make a run for it, no doubt the /polluters/ would be able to catch them. If they ran back into the Whaley House, they would be trapped in the small space which was practically a death sentence. And because a /polluter’s/ skin was like armor, there’s no way their rifle ammo could pierce it. Gabriel’s shotgun ammo _might_ be able to, but only if he wanted to waste all of his bullets—

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!”

The sound of an accented shout brought them out of their panic. Gabriel knew that voice, and he knew what it meant. “Shit, hurry this way!” He ushered Jack and Ana back into the building and they ducked behind the courthouse podium just in time to hear the sound of something rolling towards their location and exploding. On all sides of them, blood flew and immediately began to congeal. They forced themselves back up and covered their noses at the awful smell in the air. “We need to get out of here. Careful not to get any of the blood on you.” Jack helped Ana to her feet and they followed Gabriel out of the building to see what remained of the /polluters/. Just a pile of rancid flesh and blood. By now, Jack should have been used to it, but it was harder than he thought if he were to be completely honest with himself.

As they hopped out of the building, they were greeted by two men; one was rather tall and lanky with a pronounced slouch and the other was a towering and plump individual who was wearing a gas mask. What got Jack’s attention, however, was the lanky one’s right arm and leg were replaced with crudely put-together prosthetics.

The lanky one whistled. “Glad ta have come across you lot before it got dirty, eh mate?!” A cackle made its way out of his mouth. “Didn’t expect to find ya here though, Reaper!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Wish I could say the same, Junkrat, although almost getting killed dampened my mood a little.”

Jack was convinced at this point that anyone affiliated with Blackwatch only ever referred to each other by their codenames, save for the few times Sombra and Widowmaker called Gabriel by his name.

“Listen.” Jack’s attention was brought back to Gabriel, who was still conversing with ‘Junkrat’. “We need a working car that’ll get us to Chicago.”

Junkrat’s eyebrow rose with intrigue. “Why ya gotta go to Chicago, mate?”

“Long story short, we’ve got some unfinished business with a doctor there.” Gabriel eyed Jack and Ana. “They want to make sure their friend is safe, and I want some answers.”

Junkrat hobbled over to where Jack and Ana were standing and immediately got up in their personal space. “You both don’t look familiar. Reaps is actually bein’ social for once! Got himself some new friends!” He elbowed the massive man beside him. “Look at this, Roadie! Our Reaps is growin’ up!”

He only received a grunt in response, and Gabriel covered his face with his hand. “Look, can you get us a car or not?!”

“Now hold your horses, mate. Sure I could get ya a car, but I’d need the parts first.” Junkrat pointed out down the road that ran straight through the town. “Safe house ain’t too far from here, but we need ta move fast. All the explosions you all set off bound to attract the wrong sort.”

Junkrat wasted no time in climbing up his partner’s shoulders and sitting atop them, leg and prosthetic on either side of the man’s head. The man seemed used to it and merely grunted in affirmation. “This here’s Roadhog, by the way. Not much for words but has a mean left hook.” His cackle was almost infectious at this point. “So what’s your stories? Give me the juicy details aight?”

Jack eyed Ana, who gave him a shrug. “We’re originally from the Pasadena Zone but ended up in the LA Zone after hunters invaded…that’s how we met Gabriel and the other members of Blackwatch…and now we’re here, trying to get to Chicago.”

Junkrat crossed his arms. “Not much for details, are ya? What were you two like before hell broke loose?”

Ana sighed. “We worked at an elementary school, which was how we met. He was a teacher, and I was the school nurse. We didn’t even know of the outbreak until it was almost too late...the news broke out that someone’s blood infection had mutated and it quickly spread into an epidemic.” Jack could tell that Ana was having a hard time reminiscing on such a difficult time in her life. He put a hand on her shoulder as a silent statement that she didn’t have to speak about it anymore, but Ana merely smiled sadly and stood firm. “My…husband took our daughter to the hospital for a routine check-up…they were at the epicenter of the outbreak...they didn’t stand a chance, but all I can hope for is that they didn’t suffer or turn into one of those things…”

Gabriel widened his eyes at the new information, and now felt like a complete ass for getting into an argument over children surviving when Ana had a personal experience with that. He said nothing, but his expression alluded to being sorry about that whole incident.

Junkrat looked mildly apologetic as well. “Damn, sorry ta hear that. Hope things have been a little bit better for ya? I mean…not exactly better since this world is shit, but…”

“Stop while you’re ahead, idiot.” Roadhog’s low voice rang out, which instantly shut Junkrat up.

Ana couldn’t help but be amused by the two, even if Junkrat very nearly put a foot in his mouth.

“Right! Anyway…” Junkrat cleared his throat. “The safe house is just a bit over there.”

Once they reached the safe house, Jack could see that these two people were more than just a couple of bomb fanatics. Nail bombs, smoke bombs…even sticks of dynamite were littered all over the floor.

“I told you to clean this shit up…” Roadhog chastised as he very literally grabbed Junkrat off his shoulders and dropped him on the floor.

Junkrat grinned. “Right right, sorry!” He hastily picked up the hazardous weapons off the floor and not-so-calmly threw them into a crate. “Those were all duds, anyway…at least, I think they were.”

THIS was what these two considered to be a safe house? Nothing was even remotely close to being safe about it! Gabriel frowned and looked around the room. “So where’s the car in question?”

“Hold your horses, mate! It’s in the back, in the garage.” Junkrat ushered them to follow him, while Roadhog took the rear. “Here she is! Gotta say, pretty proud of this handiwork. Just need to charge up a car battery and it’ll be good as new! Well, almost.” It was a rather nice pickup truck, Jack had to admit; a bit rusted and beat up, but it was better than nothing. At least the tires were still inflated and not flat.

“Great, so where do we get a battery?” Gabriel checked under the hood of the vehicle to see that it was indeed empty.

Junkrat bounced to the front next to Gabriel. “Thankfully it ain’t too far. Just up the large hillside is some sort of church. Big bell tower, can’t miss it!” He cackled again. “Use that place as a stronghold to put supplies if I run out here. Should definitely be a spare car battery lying about that I can charge up!”

Gabriel nodded. “Right. We’ll get you your battery, then we can be on our way.” As they were about to leave, however, Junkrat stopped them.

“Hold on a tick. Roadie will assist you getting up there, since we’ve had a few run-ins with some /howlers/ up that way.”

Without a word, Roadhog grabbed a large hook hanging on the wall, attached a chain to it, and fastened the chain to his pants. He then walked out of the safe house without looking back to see if the others were following him, so Gabriel, Jack and Ana had to hurry up to catch him. The man was pretty fast for his huge build.

.

.

.

One look at the church in front of them told Jack that this was one of those Spanish missions that were built way back in the 1700s. He vaguely recalled the fourth graders at the school he worked at working on some projects involving these historic settlements.

“Over here.” Roadhog grunted as he traversed over the concrete flower beds and broken walls to a large room filled with broken museum displays. The place certainly did look like an armory, except less guns and more ammo, equipment to make bombs, and low and behold, an actual car battery.

Roadhog kept watch at the entrance while the three of them took inventory. Gabriel kept his attention checking out the car battery, while Jack and Ana opted to take a couple boxes of ammo for their journey.

“The car battery looks good to go.” Gabriel attempted to pick up the massive equipment, which was proving to be a difficult task.

Roadhog stopped him and took over, picking up the battery with ease and held it in his harms along with the hook. Without a word, the big man walked off the property, leaving Gabriel with his mouth slightly agape. Jack couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“Sorry Gabe, looks like you’re not the strongest one here.”

Gabriel rose an eyebrow at Jack. “…Gabe?”

Jack realized his slip of words and grew flustered. “S-Sorry, it sorta slipped out. I thought I heard Sombra call you that so—“

Gabriel held up a hand and smiled slightly. “It’s cool. Was just…surprised, is all.” Gabriel chuckled. “Definitely like that nickname coming out of your mouth more than Sombra’s.”

The comment was innocent enough given that Gabriel only ever heard Sombra refer to him like that if she wanted something out of him, but it only served to make Jack feel even more embarrassed as he hurried past both Gabriel and Ana to catch up to Roadhog.

Gabriel looked at Ana with confusion. “…Something I said?”

Ana laughed. “Something like that. Tell me, Gabriel, do you believe in finding love in these tough times?”

She received an eye roll. “Does anyone have time to fall in love in these times? I nearly got myself killed to get to where I am now…although I would be lying if I didn’t wish to have someone close to vent to.” He had Sombra and Widowmaker, but he was sure that Widow couldn’t care less and Sombra would use the information against him for the shits and giggles if given the chance. As much as he loved them, they weren’t exactly the most trustworthy individuals.

Ana hummed. “Well, I can say just from looking at him that Jack is rather smitten with you.”

That information hit Gabriel like a train, and suddenly he recalled the time he noticed Jack blushing under him and took that much more seriously. “...So you mean…when Jack blushed…”

Ana nodded. “Not exactly subtle, that one. He’s well aware that we live in tough times now, but that doesn’t stop him from remaining optimistic, if only a little. The second you lose hope is when everything is over.”

Gabriel sighed. “…So why are YOU telling me this, and not him?”

Ana looked on ahead at Jack who was walking silently next to Roadhog, trying his best to start up a conversation with the man. She smiled. “I want what’s best for him, Gabriel. I want to care for him and make sure he’s in good hands…” She looked at Gabriel. “If something happens to me, someone has to look out for him and his idiocy. He has been known to act without thinking.”

That comment sounded rather ominous, and Gabriel couldn’t help but let out an awkward chuckle. “You say that as if you’re expecting to get yourself killed.”

Ana merely looked off in the distance. “…You just never know what can go wrong in these harsh times. I just don’t want to leave behind any loose ends in case something does happen to me.”

Gabriel was about to say something else, when an explosion jolted them out of his thoughts. A short distance away, he could see the smoke rising up from where they had left Junkrat and the safehouse, and they immediately grew worried. In between the explosions, they could hear screeching.

Without a word, all of them ran as fast as they could to assist. Two /howlers/ were attempting to get into the safe house; Jack put a round through one of their skulls, and Roadhog hooked the other one and effectively beheaded it without even having to drop the battery he was still holding. Roadhog then forced himself into the room and saw Junkrat standing atop a pile of crates while a few /walkers/ were attempting to reach him. Roadhog put the battery down and grabbed a makeshift shotgun from his holster and hooked all of the walkers at once and blew their heads clean off with shrapnel.

“Whew! Thanks, Roadie—“ Before Junkrat could say anything else, Roadhog grabbed his arm and forcibly pulled his lanky form back down to ground level.

“You didn’t check the entrances to the area, did you.” It wasn’t a question, and Junkrat immediately put his hands up in defense. “S-Sorry, mate! I thought I checked them all efficiently, but must have missed one…”

Roadhog’s grunt had a little bite to it this time around, as if trying not to show just how frustrated he was about the whole situation. “Once they get it, it’ll be tough to get them all out.”

“No worries, gotta just set up more bomb traps.” Junkrat threw a nail bomb in the air and caught it. “They’re far too stupid to avoid ‘em.”

Jack could have sworn he saw a vein pop in what little was exposed of Roadhog’s forehead. “If you were more careful, you wouldn’t have to do that in the first place.”

Before another argument could ensue, more screeching and groaning could be heard just outside the safe house, and they all went still.

Gabriel got his shotgun ready. “I hope those bombs you cleaned up earlier weren’t all duds, Junkrat.”

The grin that crept onto Junkrat’s face was almost evil. “Let’s test ‘em all out, shall we!” He reached for the bombs and grabbed one, placing it by the doorway just as a horde of contagion forced their way in. The bomb went off, killing four of them. As more contagion piled in, Gabriel used an entire round of his shotgun to kill roughly seven of them, give or take. Who had time to keep count of it all when you could live one second and then die the next. Jack brought it upon himself to protect Ana, firing any contagion that came too close. A locked in room with enemies and allies in such a close proximity to one another were poor conditions for a sniper. Soon, the numbers were proving to be far too great, as more and more kept trying to force their way in. This area was now a lost cause, and they were right in the middle of it.

“We need to get out of here.” Gabriel shouted. “Can we get the truck running?!”

A grunt from the garage signaled that Roadhog was already in the process of fixing up the car while everyone else was fending off the contagion. The sound of a car engine revving up was like music to their ears, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. A /howler/ managed to break the door off its hinges and it fell onto Gabriel, who yelled out in pain before trying to fend off the threat. Jack hit the /howler/ with the butt of his rifle and helped Gabriel to his feet, but that gave the other contagion enough time to get into the safe house.

“Better get to the garage, and fast!” Junkrat yelled and hobbled his way towards the destination, with Jack and Gabriel close on his heels. When they reached the garage, Jack realized that Ana wasn’t with them.

“Ana!” Jack ran back to the entranceway and saw Ana holding her ground against the huge group of contagion with just her sniper rifle. He noticed where she was standing; right beside a large nail bomb attached to a trip-wire. “No…no, Ana! We need to get out of here!”

Ana turned to look at Jack, and smiled as calmly as she could. There were tears in her eyes. “Please take care of yourself, Jack. I trust Gabriel to get you to Chicago in one piece. This is…my final stop.”

“ANA!” Jack wanted to re-enter the room, but Gabriel held him back. He glanced at Ana with a horrified expression. “You…Ana…” All of a sudden, the conversation they had on the way back was sounding more and more like a promise. As if Ana knew that she wouldn’t last until they got to Chicago and essentially TOLD Gabriel to look after Jack. He bit his lip, but tried to force Jack back.

“The car’s ready, mates!” Junkrat yelled and joined them at the door. “Wait…what the hell is the sheila doing???”

Jack couldn’t stop the tears from rolling, but he knew when Ana had made up her mind. He looked up at Ana, and with tears staining his cheeks, gave her a salute worthy of a soldier. Ana saluted him back, and Jack slammed the door behind him.

“Oi, is she doin’ what I think she’s—“ Before Junkrat could finish, Jack forced himself into the passenger seat of the truck, with Gabe in the driver’s seat. Roadhog was already sitting in the back of the truck, and Junkrat chose that time to shut up and force the garage door open before hopping into the back and sit next to his buddy. They drove off in silence without a word, aside from a few worried glances Gabriel directed towards Jack, who looked like he was about to fall apart.

Back at the safehouse, Ana’s tears had stopped. She took a deep breath as she dropped her rifle and stared at the horde of contagion about to maul her to pieces. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded photo that had showed signs of fading. She stared at the photo of her daughter, Fareeha, holding onto her dad with a bright smile on her face.

_I will be with you two soon._

She stepped on the trip-wire.

Jack looked back at the safe house as it exploded into ruins, and Gabriel forced himself to keep his eyes on the road. Even Junkrat’s expression looked solemn and he leaned into Roadhog’s side, who just looked blankly at the smoke rising up. It was all too much for Jack to take in, and he let out a strangled cry as he let his tears flow, and Gabriel made no effort to try and stop him. And so, he kept on driving until they had reached the outskirts of San Diego, where Junkrat told him to drop them off.

“Gonna have to find a new area to set up shop.” Junkrat told them as he and Roadhog unloaded themselves and the remainder of their equipment from the truck. “Hey uh…sorry ‘bout your friend, mate…” He scratched the back of his head. “She did a brave thing, can’t have been easy.” Roadhog grunted and bowed his head to show his condolences.

Gabriel sighed and glanced at Jack, who ended up crying himself to sleep, much to his relief. “I’ll make sure he recovers…even with death all around us, it’s still not easy to lose someone you’re close to. So…what are you two gonna do now?”

Junkrat pointed just off the beaten path, where the outline of a small town could be seen. “We have some old friends from back in the day living out there. They haven’t had any troubles with contagion yet, so we’ll set up with them. This here’s Junker territory now, and it’ll be the safest place to live in the fifty states.” Junkrat stated with pride. Gabriel couldn’t see it, but he was sure that Roadhog was rolling his eyes beneath that gas mask.

“Well, best luck to you then. I hope that you’re both still alive and well by the time I come back to LA.” Gabriel smiled at them.

Junkrat laughed. “You can bet your wombats on me, just so long as you make it back alive in the first place!”

“Right.” Gabriel gave them both one last handshake before driving off. He could see Junkrat waving at him in the rear-view mirror, and he smiled to himself. He then looked at Jack’s sleeping form, and his expression grew serious. He needed to take care of Jack; he needed to keep Ana’s promise, if it was the last thing he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys didn't think you could escape major character death in a zombie apocalypse AU, did you? :3c


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They got the answers they needed. But at what cost?

_“This is an order from the US Government! Martial Law is now in full effect; ration lines will be open twice daily so long as you have the necessary amount of ration cards, and a six o’clock curfew is strictly enforced. Failure to abide by the laws will result in immediate arrest and prosecution without a fair trial. I repeat…”_

_Gabriel groaned as he walked into what was once his office at the LAPD. The place was a wreck, most likely brought upon by the bombs that the military dropped on the city in the hopes that that would somehow solve the contagion problem. He let out a wistful sigh as he stared at his picture and nameplate on the wall._

_Gabriel Reyes_

_Chief of Police_

_He was just as stoic in the photo as he was in real life, except now he had distinguished crow’s feet at the corner of his eyes and his hair and facial hair showed signs of graying. He had just as many scars back then as he did now, however, which could be seen as a good thing considering any fresh wound could be infected at any point in time in this hellhole._

_Los Angeles was a doomed city right from the beginning. The epicenter of the outbreak, and not a single person coming forward to explain what the hell was going on. All they had going for them was that someone’s illness mutated and a highly contagious infection was spreading as quickly as a discarded cigarette in a dry forest that hadn’t seen water in months. He had managed to keep his family safe so far, but how much longer could he keep it up? He was the only one physically fit enough to deal with the brute force of the contagion, and one of only two that was trained how to use a gun; but there was no way his abuelo, who was pushing 90, could even hope to win a fight against those things. He had both of his grandparents, his mother, and a younger sister to take care of, but in the LA Zone, a situation only went from bad to worst; there was no_ good _that ever came out of the LA Zone._

 _He went back to the place he once called home to see if there were any supplies he could scrounge up for his family. He had relocated his family to one of the underground bomb shelters that had once been used during the Great War, or as the history books liked to call it, the_ Omnic Crisis _, when the terrorist group known as Talon used high-tech weaponry called Omniums to take out the leading world powers. Gabriel thought it was ironic how they had survived one of the worst wars in human history, and now they were struggling to handle an apocalyptic threat such as an outbreak._

_When he reached the underground shelter, his blood ran cold when he noticed that someone had left the door open. He cocked his shotgun and prayed to God that his family was safe, and lit his flashlight that was attached to the strap of his backpack to get better lighting. He almost threw up at the sight of his abuelo’s brutally mutilated corpse on the ground in front of him, the blood not yet congealed which meant that this had happened rather recently; rigor mortis hadn’t even set in._

_“Dios por favor dame fuerza.” Gabriel choked on his words as he slowly walked down the corridor with a held breath, and as he got down to the end, he was immediately brought to his knees, unable to handle the strong stench of iron and rotten flesh._

_The rest of his family was piled together in various states of mutilation, and he heard the faint sounds of screeching. His body and mind froze for a few seconds, before he realized just how much of a danger he was in. Someone in his family, or someone from the outside, had opened the door and forgot to close it. /Howlers/ have gotten in and the rest was history. He didn’t have time to grieve, he needed to get the hell out of there before he too would meet the same fate as his beloved family._

_When he got out of the underground shelter, he gasped for fresh air. His demeanor had changed almost overnight; no more kindness or compassion. It was replaced by a cold heart and a deadly need to survive at all cost._

_But even after a year had passed since then, even after he had unwillingly donated his body to find a cure, even after he and the few others who had escaped alive after doctors had cut them up and tortured them…he could still see the mangled and terrified expressions of his family members as clear as day._

_It haunted him to the core._

_._

_._

_._

“—briel. Gabriel!”

Gabriel was jolted awake by a hand gently shaking his shoulder, and he grabbed and twisted the wrist all while breathing heavily. Jack let out a strangled cry as he felt his wrist trying to fight the sudden action, threatening to crack.

“Gabe, it’s me! It’s Jack!”

Gabriel blinked rapidly, and immediately let go of Jack’s wrist as he now understood when and where he was. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “S-Sorry, Jack…must’ve had a nightmare.” Wouldn’t be the first time; he still recalled the time Widowmaker tried to wake him up and almost got flipped flat on her ass if her reflexes weren’t basically superhuman. “Where are we?”

It was then that he realized that he was now in the passenger seat of the truck that Junkrat and Roadhog had let them have, with Jack behind the wheel. They must have switched spots somewhere along the way.

“We’re just now entering Chicago…I think the place Angela will be at is Mercy Hospital, right by the lake.”

Gabriel took note of Jack’s expression; he was relieved to see that Jack no longer looked like he could fall apart any moment after what had happened back in San Diego; from what he saw, Jack and Ana were really good friends, almost like family, so he understood why Jack took so long to recover. It took him almost as long to fully get over the fact that yes, his family was dead and they weren’t coming back.

“Um, Gabe…?”

Gabriel rose an eyebrow at Jack’s sudden uneasiness. “What do you plan on doing, once we find Angela?” He sighed. “I…I understand that you were hurt, and possibly by something that Angela had done, but she is still my friend. I can’t let you…” _I can’t let you get revenge on her._

Gabriel merely rolled her eyes. “Calm down, Jack. I just want answers, and I can’t get those answers if her head is splattered on the hospital floor.”

Jack’s face turned almost white at that mental imagery.

“What I want to know though, is what do YOU plan on doing once all this shit is done and over with.” Gabriel leaned against the car window with crossed arms, eyes firmly on Jack. “Do you plan on persuading her to go back to California with you? Or do you plan on staying with her in Chicago? Or is this really just some long-winded effort just to see if she’s alive, and then go off skipping on your merry way and continue to survive in the LA Zone, something that I highly disagree on.” His gaze hardened. “What are YOUR motives, Jackie?”

Jack bit his lip. If he were to be completely honest with himself, he had literally no idea. What WOULD he do once he found Angela? It was clear from their road trip that every part of the United States was under martial law and threatened by the contagion, so was there really a safe place to go? And now that Ana was gone…he had lost a friend and survival partner.

After a moment of watching Jack’s lip quiver and eyes darting back and forth to find an answer, Gabriel cleared his voice. “I know…it’s not the easiest place to live, but you’re welcome to come back to my home. To Blackwatch. If you want.”

Jack had to force his eyes to stay on the road, but he had the strong urge to lash his head right towards Gabriel’s direction. “W-What? Live with you and your…”

Gabriel nodded. “It won’t be an easy life, but at least you will be surrounded by people who can all protect each other. And you already know Widow and Sombra, as well as myself…”

Jack had to think about that for a minute, which he found to be almost laughable. He already knew what his answer was going to be; he was all alone in the world now, but maybe living with Gabriel wasn’t such a bad thing. He smiled. “I…I would like that, Gabe.”

Gabriel returned the smile. “Good to hear it.” He placed his hand gently on Jack’s, who’s own hand was resting on the armrest in the middle of both of their seats. He felt Jack’s body tense up from that action.

Jack bit his lip. “Don’t…don’t tease me. I know that in this world, shit like romance and love are almost non-existent and most people don’t have time for it, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t…can’t _feel_.”

Gabriel rose an eyebrow, and after a few seconds he smirked. “…And? Is that your way of confessing your feelings to me or something, Jackie?”

Jack’s cheeks flushed a deep red, which made Gabriel chuckle. “…Ana told me, Jack. About those conflicting feelings of yours, and I get it. I always wondered what it was like to love someone even in these harsh times, but running for your life trying to survive definitely doesn’t help in that department.”

“I just…” Jack sighed, and whispered. “When I first ran into you, back at the US Bank Tower, I should have been terrified when your gun was inches away from my face. And yet, I wasn’t. Instead, I just heard your voice; not your words, but your VOICE. And I just thought that it was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened at the confession that was thrown his way. No one had ever called his voice, no doubt slightly raspy after all he’s been through, beautiful before. It was as if the switch in his brain that controlled his self-control and restraint turned off, and he leaned over and firmly kissed Jack’s lips. They were slightly chapped and rough, but still felt soft against his own. And it wasn’t like they would actually get pulled over for reckless behavior while driving, so that was a plus.

The look on Jack’s face was priceless, and Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh as he pulled away. “If I’d have known better, I’d say that was your first kiss, Jack.”

Jack swiftly brought his attention back to the road, eyebrows knit hard in concentration. “N-Not my first kiss, but…definitely the best kiss I’ve had in my life.”

Gabriel closed his eyes and smirked smugly. “I used to get that a lot.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Glad to see I’m good for boosting your already swelled ego. Jackass.”

That rumbled a laugh out of Gabriel’s throat, and Jack smiled serenely as they drove closer and closer to their destination.

They were both completely unaware that their hands were still together, fingers intertwined comfortably as if they were made for each other.

.

.

.

Mercy Hospital was just about in as good shape as they both imagined it to be, and by ‘good’, they meant looked just about the same as every other abandoned building they had been in. The only difference being that instead of a horde of contagion, there was a horde of military personnel standing guard outside. Jack could also see a few doctors walking by the large windows on the ground level. As they pulled up to the entrance, they were immediately stopped and military-issued rifles were trained on their position.

“State your business.” One of them commanded.

Jack swallowed nervously. “I’m trying to find someone by the name of Angela Ziegler. She is a friend of mine and I just want to know if she is alright.”

Two of the soldiers looked at each other, then back to Jack with suspicious glares. “Doctor Ziegler is a busy woman, as I am sure you are aware. She has no time to play catch up.”

“Please…can’t I just see her for a few—“

Before he could finish his sentence, one soldier used the butt of his rifle to push Jack to the floor with a hard thud. “I won’t say it again. Leave or be shot dead on the spot.”

Gabriel put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and shook his head. With a grumble, Jack got up from the ground and followed Gabriel back to the car and climbed in the driver’s seat. Gabriel slid into the passenger’s seat and sighed. “Well now what.”

Jack started the engine and began to drive past the hospital, making sure that the soldiers were no longer looking at him before going around the building to the back end. Much to Jack’s relief, there was only one soldier standing guard where the old ‘Emergency Vehicle’ entrance was. “We’re breaking in, that’s what.”

Gabriel grinned. “If it were up to me, I would have done that before even trying to reason my way in.”

They both climbed out of the car and snuck behind the soldier. Gabriel grabbed the man by the neck and asphyxiated him long enough to knock him unconscious for at least a few hours but not kill him. Hopefully. Once that was dealt with, they snuck into the entrance.

“We don’t have enough time to search all the floors…” Jack grimaced. “And I have no idea which one Angela would be on.”

Gabriel eyed a directory by what was once the waiting lobby. It was faded and dirty, but he could still make out most of the words. “Angela was a surgeon, if I remember correctly. She’s probably in one of the operating rooms, which are on floors five and six. Good place to start, at least.”

Jack nodded and followed Gabriel to the stairs and made their way up. They had to sneak past or knock out a few military guards along the way, but all in all it turned out to be a pretty easy task.

Gabriel was the first to catch sight of blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. He gestured towards the office room right next to one of the operating rooms, and Jack nodded as they both walked as quietly as they could towards the room.

There she was, Angela Ziegler, sitting with a clipboard in hand and looking more exhausted than Jack had ever seen her. He felt almost sorry for the state of his friend, but at least he knew now that she was alright. Thought whether or not she was actually well was up for debate.

“…Angie?”

Angela jolted upright, startled at the sudden voice speaking to her and brought her attention towards the door, and her expression went from terrified to joyful in the blink of an eye. She bolted towards Jack and almost tackled him to the floor, tears flowing from her eyes as she embraced him. “Oh, Jack! I’m so happy to see you…you have no idea how worried I was!”

Jack held onto her small form tightly. “I’m sorry, Angie…but I was worried about you too. It’s why I traveled halfway across the country to find you!” He sighed into her shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me you were being relocated? Ana and I…” He choked over his words. “We…we were so worried that something might have happened to you.”

Angela sobbed. “They didn’t exactly give me a warning…shortly after I smuggled a few pill bottles to you and Ana, the military came and told me I was being relocated to a safer location with better equipment. I-I didn’t even have a chance to explain anything to the patients I was still looking at…” She let go of him slightly to look at his eyes. “How’s Ana doing?”

Jack couldn’t take it. That unsuspecting and innocent look in Angela’s eyes caused him to break down and hold onto Angela, sobbing into her neck and shoulder. “Ana…Ana was killed by contagion.” He heard Angela’s breath hitch. “It was her choice. We were surrounded and she chose to sacrifice her life so that we would live.”

Angela bit her lip and she smiled despite her sobs breaking the silence. “That sounds just like something Ana would do…”

Jack let go of Angela once more. “Listen, Angie. Do you recognize this man?” He gestured towards Gabriel, who had a rather harsh stare trained on Angela. She almost looked startled.

“No…no it can’t be. Are you G-Gabriel Reyes?” She pulled away from Jack and tried to caress the scar on Gabriel’s face, but he recoiled as if her hand was poisonous to the touch.

“Hit the nail on the head, _Ángel de la Muerte_.” He spat, which caused Angela’s face to pale.

“Gabriel, I know it looks bad but—“

“BAD? You don’t know the half of it.” Gabriel scoffed. “Do you know what it felt like for me, for ALL of those you rounded up and treated like lab rats? We have scars that will never heal thanks to the botched up stitching. Do you remember Amélie Lacroix? She still has random heart pains from you doctors probing around her heart. And Sombra? You don’t know her by that name but what you did to her messed her up so badly that she could no longer look at herself the same way. She changed her fucking name because of that!” He balled up his fists, and Jack suddenly felt out of place. He wanted to say something, but knew that what he said probably wouldn’t help ease the tension.

Angela was moments away from breaking down into tears once again. “I-It wasn’t my idea…I was forced to do those heinous acts by my superiors. They told me that it was the only way to help find a cure and save lives, and in my naivete I believed them.” She closed her eyes and brought her head to the ground as if in prayer. “I have no right to call myself a doctor, and I’ve felt sick to my stomach every day since then. I know I can’t ask you to forgive me, so I won’t, but…please, at least give me a chance to atone.”

Gabriel and Jack looked at each other, then back to Angela. “What are you talking about, Angie?” Jack hesitantly asked and brought a hand to help Angela back up on her feet.

Once she was done wiping her eyes from tears, she stared at them with a newfound confidence. “There’s a young boy that’s the new subject of experimentation, located two floors above us in Operating Room #14. His name is Jesse McCree, age ten. They…they must have known I was too emotionally invested to deal with a child, so they put another doctor in charge and refused to allow me to even see him.” She cried. “Please…please save him. I can’t do it myself but I don’t want that young child to suffer the same way you have, Gabriel.”

Jack could tell that Gabriel was trying not to lash out at Angela, so he took it upon himself to smile at her. “We’ll do all that we can to save him. Is there any way you can get out of here? We can take you back to California…”

Angela shook her head with a calm smile. “I apologize, but…my life ends here. If I defect, the military will hunt me down before I cross state borders. But the least I can do is make sure Jesse is in good hands.” She stood up and walked towards the door, but not before looking back at the both of them. “There will be guards patrolling every hallway…once you have the boy, take the south-side elevator down to ground level. It’ll take you out to the emergency exit reserved for staff; no one patrols there anymore. I’ll leave a car for you to take back…oh, and before I forget.” She handed Gabriel a cowboy hat; a stetson, if he had to guess. “Give this to Jesse…he told me it belonged to his father, and it’s the only thing he has left of him. I’m sure he would love to get it back.” And with that, she left them to look at each other.

“She’s suffered at the hands of this situation just as much as you did, Gabriel.” Jack dared to say.

Gabriel scoffed. “Yeah, and yet she’s not the one with surgical incisions up and down her stomach, right, _Corazon?_ ” He walked out of the room and towards the stairwell. “Hurry up, Jack. I’m not about to let those bastards do that shit to a kid.”

Jack nodded and followed Gabriel up the flight of stairs, and they quietly pushed open the large metal doors. Once inside, they immediately ducked behind a reception desk at the sight of two soldiers shining their flashlights up and down the hallway.

“She wasn’t kidding when she said there was heavy patrol.” Gabriel glanced over the counter. “We can either try to sneak past them and take out as many as we can, or we can just go in guns blazing and cause a scene…”

Jack shook his head. “Jesse’s life might be in danger if we give away our presence. You take this side and I’ll go around to the other side. Once we’re done, we’ll meet at Operating Room #14.”

They both nodded to each other and quickly got to work. One by one, military soldiers slowly disappeared from their positions, some knocked out, a few others they were forced to kill after they managed to put up a good fight. But in the end they came up successful in keeping their positions secret, and once they both reached the operating room, they immediately heard the horrifying sounds of a young child’s screams of agony. It was a bone-chilling scream that sent shivers down Jack’s spine, and it made Gabriel’s expression contort to intense rage. They glanced at each other before barging into the room, and Gabriel put a round of shotgun ammo into the surgeon’s skull before he even knew what hit him. Gabriel kicked the lifeless body of the surgeon just to make sure he really was dead, before staring down at the crying form of Jesse McCree.

“Shhh, it’s okay, _mijo_ …you’re going to be alright.” Gabriel’s expression softened as he picked up the boy and cradled him in his arms. “Are you Jesse?”

The boy sobbed and nodded slightly.

Gabriel looked relieved. “We’re getting you out of here, alright? Do you have family we can take you to?”

The boy shook his head. “From Santa Fe…Ma and Pa…” Another sob. “D-Dead…no one else…”

It was absolutely heartbreaking listening to the broken voice of the boy. Gabriel held onto him tightly. “We’re your family now, then. My name is Gabriel…this is Jack.” Jack smiled and waved at Jesse. Jesse, in turn, widened his eyes but nodded slowly, letting the smallest smile creep onto his face.

Gabriel reached for the Stetson that Angela handed him. “I believe this belongs to you.”

Jesse’s eyes brightened up and he grabbed it from Gabriel’s hands and placed it on his head. It was much too big for his head, but understandable considering it belonged to the boy’s father. Seeing him bounce from being shaken to joyful made Gabriel and Jack as happy as they could be. “T-Thank you—“

“Hey, did you hear that?!”

“It came from that Patient #27’s room!”

 Jack swore under his breath. “Shit, they must have heard the gunshots. We need to get out of here, Gabe, and fast.”

Gabriel didn’t even have a moment to nod before the door burst open and two soldiers looked at them with shock. “What the fu—“

Jack shot them both in the head before they could finish their sentence. “I’ll keep you both safe, trust me, Gabe.”

With a nod, Gabriel ran out of the room with Jesse in his arms and Jack taking the rear, shooting and killing any soldiers that crossed their path. Angela told them to take the south-side elevator, and thankfully for them there were illuminated signs that were practically pointing them in the right direction. They managed to avoid a serious gunfight, and Jack’s ability to shoot had improved drastically since he first set off on this insane journey. Once they ran inside the elevator, Jack pushed the Down button as fast and hard as he could, and it closed just before a group of soldiers could force their way through the doors. They could hear frustrated shouts and gunshots, but let out sighs of relief. They were safe for now.

Gabriel turned his attention back to Jesse. “Are you doing alright, _mijo_?”

Jesse clung to Gabriel’s shirt and nodded. “Doin’ fine…”

Jack stared at the numbers anxiously as they were getting closer and closer to ground level. “…Gabriel…No matter what happens, can I just say that I’m happy that I went on this journey with you? I know that there wasn’t much between us, but…”

Gabriel shut him up by pressing his lips to Jack’s, which Jack accepted with no resistance. They kissed for a while before letting go, Jack having to gasp for some air. He should really learn to breathe through his nose in those kinds of situations.

Gabriel smiled at him. “I’m glad too, Jackie. And…guess this is good a time as any to apologize for basically abandoning you that first night we met. But I would be lying if I said you weren’t a beautiful sight despite the situation.”

Jack flushed. “…I…I lo—“

He didn’t get a chance to finish before the elevator doors opened and Gabriel exited. “We need to get out of here.” He kissed Jack once more. “You can tell me everything you want to say once we get to safety, alright, _Mi Sol_?”

Jack smiled and nodded as he followed Gabriel out of there. They had found the car that Angela had left for them, keys in the ignition and working rather well despite everything. Gabriel gently placed Jesse in the back seat, while he got in the driver’s seat and Jack taking shotgun. They didn’t say anything to each other after they departed the hospital, but the smiles were still present on their faces.

In the back seat, Jesse looked at the back of their heads with mild curiosity, mixed with a little bit of playful disgust at how mushy his new ‘parents’ were towards each other.

_‘My Sun’? God, my new dad is so sappy._

.

.

.

In hindsight, Gabriel should have known that it was a bad idea. And yet, he had insisted they stop in Las Vegas because their car needed more gas to make it back to the LA Zone. There was no way a quarter tank could last them even half the trip, and Las Vegas was known to have many abandoned cars to siphon gasoline from. He told himself that they had no choice, but he never expected _them_ to show up.

Hunters. And even worse, they were running from a large group of /walkers/ and /howlers/. If Los Angeles was hell on earth, Las Vegas was a very close second; the last circle of hell, if he were to give it a name. What was the name that Dante gave it again? Oh, right… _Treachery_.

“Jack! We need to run!” Gabriel grabbed Jesse. “The car’s not too far from here, we should have enough gas to make it most of the way!”

Jack nodded and they both broke out into a sprint, ignoring all the hunters as they were all too preoccupied by the contagion giving chase to even care about insignificant humans to kill and steal from.

One hunter pushed Jack to the ground. Jack stumbled, and before he knew what had happened, a /howler/ forced its body onto Jack, trying to bite and nip at any exposed flesh it could find. Jack frantically tried to fight the thing off of him, yelling and flailing and throwing fists. He felt a searing pain on his left upper thigh but paid no attention to it.

“Jack!”

Gabriel kicked the /howler/ off of Jack and shot it point blank with his shotgun. He helped Jack off the ground. “You alright?!”

“Y-Yeah, just shaken up.” Jack assured the both of them, and they ran back to the car as fast as they could. Gabriel handed Jesse over to Jack to put in the back seat, while Gabriel unloaded all the gasoline they had gathered into the tank. Once inside the car, Gabriel revved up the engine and stepped on the gas, screeching away from the horde and left Las Vegas behind without looking back. Gabriel sighed. “Fucking hell…”

Jack shot him a pained smiled. “Jesse and you are alright, at least. But god, that thing just about knocked the wind out of me.”

Gabriel slowed the car down slightly to pull Jack into a tight embrace and kissed him all over. “ _Dios mio,_ Jackie…you have no idea how scared I was.” Another firm kiss to his lips. “ _Mi Sol…Te adoro…”_

Jack laughed. “Okay, okay! Gabe please, I get it!”

Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh as well, and put the car back in drive and continued on down the road.

Jesse giggled a little as well. “ _Bruto_.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened and glanced at the back seat. “Y-You know Spanish?! You little shit!”

Jesse laughed harder, and suddenly Gabriel felt his face grow hot at being caught saying all of those sappy things in front of his adopted son. He dared to take a glance at Jack, who just stared at the two of them with much adoration and affection. It absolutely warmed Gabriel’s heart.

Jack suddenly hissed in pain, which instantly made Gabriel on edge. “What’s wrong?!”

“N-Nothing.” Jack reassured him. “That hunter must have pushed me down harder than I thought…my muscles are aching all over.”

Gabriel’s concern only began to grow, so he pulled over and gave Jack a once-over. The tear in Jack’s pants instantly got his attention. “What’s that…?”

Jack looked down, and instantly his body and mind froze in horror. He now understood what that sharp pain was that he felt; on his upper thigh, there was a thin, long gash that was beginning to bleed into his jeans. The gash was infected and began to blister at an alarming rate.

He had become infected.

Jack’s body began to shake, and Gabriel pulled him into a tight hug as tears rolled down both of their cheeks. “Oh no…Jack…Jackie…”

Jack knew that this was probably how his life would come to an end, but he didn’t think it would happen so soon, and definitely not while in the company of the man he grew to love over their journey. It was almost too much to bear, but…he was strong. He had to be strong…for the both of them.

“…Gabe…” He let out a strangled sob as he rubbed circles in Gabriel’s back. “M…My life is over, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question. He already knew the answer.

Gabriel’s grip on him tightened.

“I’m sorry…I should have been—“

“Don’t you dare blame this on yourself.” Gabriel bit out. “Blame the hunter that pushed you down, or the /howler/ that did that to you in the first place, hell, blame ME for not being able to protect you. But don’t you fucking DARE blame this on yourself.”

Jack was at a loss for words. He gave in and began to sob into Gabriel’s shirt, and they kissed each other almost hungrily a few times.

Jesse understood the just of what had happened, but didn’t have the heart to say anything, so he quietly sobbed in the back seat.

They must have been in that position for a few hours, because the sun was beginning to set on the horizon, and the infection on Jack’s leg had gotten much worse. Jack was beginning to feel the initial effects, including nausea and inability to control body temperature. He knew that his life was over, but…there was no way he was going to let it end like _that_.

“…Gabe…I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Don’t say it…” Gabriel sobbed out. “Please, _Mi Amor_ …I don’t think…”

Jack smiled gently. “You can, and you will. I know how strong you are…I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The infection…I’m beginning to feel it getting worse.”

Gabriel only then noticed that Jack’s body was involuntarily shivering despite it still being in the 80s outside.

“I want you to be the one to end my life. I refuse to turn into one of those things, and I want you to be the last face I see…” Jack pulled away and caressed Gabriel’s cheek, running a thumb across the scar that began at Gabriel’s cheek and ended just at the bridge of his nose.

Gabriel didn’t respond, he only sobbed.

“Please, Gabe…”

The sound of Jack’s voice broke Gabriel’s heart, but it also gave him resolution. With a slight nod, he grabbed his shotgun from the back seat, and Jack couldn’t help but smile.

“No…why does this have to happen…” Jesse’s small voice piped up from the back seat, by now his tear ducts completely dried up from crying so much and all that was left was empty pupils devoid of light.

Jack reached towards the back seat and held Jesse’s small hand in his own. “I am so glad to have been able to rescue you…Gabriel will be an amazing father to you…my only regret is to not share the memories you two will share…I have faith that you will grow up into a fine young man…” Jack smiled, tears threatening to flow over. “You will be handsome and brave…and just like me, you will find someone to love you and share in your journeys, even in this crappy world that we live in. If you find that special someone, cherish them. Cherish them with all your heart and never let them forget that you love them. Can you do that for me, Jesse?”

Jesse nodded and grasped Jack’s hand. “I promise, D-Dad…”

That just about broke Jack and Jesse reached forward to give Jack a hug, and a kiss to his cheek. Jack then looked at Gabriel with a serious expression. With a nod, they both got out of the car. Gabriel instructed Jesse to stay in the car and to not look out the window, no matter what you hear. Jesse nodded in silent understanding, and Gabriel got out with his shotgun, following Jack as he limped out into the open desert.

“…Gabe…I just want to tell you how thankful I am to have had you in my life, even if it was short.” Jack smiled.

Gabriel loaded his shotgun with one bullet. He planned on making it as quick and painless as possible. That was the least he could do. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure Jesse is alright.”

Jack nodded. “…Thank you, Gabe…and…” He walked forward and kissed Gabriel gently, and somehow it felt more sensual than any of the other kisses prior. Gabriel’s heart ached.

“…I love you.”

Gabriel let out a choked sob as he pointed the shotgun squarely at Jack’s forehead and cocked it. “…I love you too, Jackie. _Mi Sol_.”

Jack smiled as serenely as he ever did. He had no more regrets as he closed his eyes.

Gabriel hesitated for a moment. He didn’t want to do it. He couldn’t do it. But one glance at Jack’s hastily infected leg told him that he HAD to do it. It absolutely pained him to have to kill his love, but it would have caused him even greater pain to see Jack turn into a contagion, suffering and doing things he had no control over.

He let out a long breath, he hovered his finger over the trigger.

“… _Mi amor por ti nunca se desvanecerá.”_

And he pulled the trigger.

He watched with quiet tears as Jack’s body fell limp, dead before he even hit the ground. He laid out Jack’s lifeless body and folded Jack’s arms over this chest, putting his hands together like how the funeral home had buried Gabriel’s father. Gabriel then pulled out a knife from his pocket and nipped off a lock of his hair, and placed it inside the shell casing of the bullet that killed his love. He placed the casing in the grasp of Jack’s folded hands.

“Something to remember me by, wherever you are.”

Gabriel got back into the car and glanced at the back seat to see Jesse with his eyes staring out the opposite side window, trying desperately not to cry or force his gaze to Jack’s body. Gabriel silently started the engine and began to drive off, but brought his right hand to the back seat. Jesse grabbed it and they stayed that way until they reached home.

.

.

.

The LA Zone had gotten even worse since they had left, if that were possible. More blood, more dead bodies of humans and contagion alike. It looked like a war zone, or an especially bloody crime scene back from Gabriel’s LAPD days. Once they drove up to the perimeter of UCLA, he picked Jesse up from the back seat and hesitantly walked into Blackwatch territory. The place was eerily silent, and it put him on edge. Jesse nervously glanced around, unsure of what to make of the new place that he assumed was going to be his new home.

“…Papa? What’s wrong?” Jesse asked, but got no response.

 _Something’s not right._ Gabriel bit his lip and they began to search the area. He reluctantly put Jesse down and Jesse wasted no time helping Gabriel search the grounds, pushing aside debris and helping Gabriel move rubble. When he moved a large wooden board, he caught sight of something that made him gasp and fall on his butt. Gabriel ran to him and when he saw the body, he fell to his knees.

“Amélie…”

There she was. Widowmaker, dead for at least a week. Rigor mortis had set in a while ago, and her body was a sickly shade of brownish-blue. Gabriel pounded his fist into the pavement, but he couldn’t stay there for long. He needed to see if there were any survivors from whatever had occurred while he was away. He grabbed Jesse by the hand and made sure he was alright before searching the other areas.

Little by little, he began to uncover more dead bodies. Upon closer inspection, he realized that all of them were riddled with bullets, but otherwise not torn apart.

He gritted his teeth. “Hunters.”

Contagion would have ripped the bodies to shreds…he had no doubt that hunters were the cause of this.

“Papa! Someone’s alive over here!” Jesse yelled, which sent Gabriel sprinting towards his son. There, sitting in the corner of the destroyed debris, was Sombra. She was breathing heavily, and looked to be asleep. She looked utterly exhausted, but Gabriel had no choice but to wake her up.

“Sombra. Som…” Gabriel said as gently as he could. “It’s me, Gabriel…”

Sombra slowly opened her eyes, and upon seeing Gabriel’s form, her eyes shot open and almost tackled him to the floor. He had never seen Sombra so vulnerable before. The strong woman he once knew was nowhere to be seen.

“Sombra, what happened?” He needed answers. He knew that it might be painful for Sombra to say, but he needed to know everything.

Sombra tried to even out her breathing as best as she could. “A few days after you left, a group of hunters decided to brave the LA Zone, desperate to find supplies. After a week, they found our hideaway…” She bit her lip. “Widow managed to take out a lot of them, but she ran out of bullets. There were so many, Gabe…they swarmed in and took almost everything we worked so hard to gather. We all fought, but eventually everyone was killed. I was able to get away and hide, but…it’s been a hard couple of weeks, Gabe.” She looked like she was going to faint at any given moment. “I had to leave the base a few times to find some food. It was…disgusting…”

Gabriel didn’t ask how she ended up surviving for so long, so he instead brought her attention to Jesse. “This is Jesse McCree…we found him once we reached Chicago. I decided to adopt him into the family.”

Jesse shyly tipped his hat to Sombra. “N-Nice to meet ya, Ma-am.”

Sombra couldn’t help but giggle. “How old are you? You seem mature for your age.”

He blushed. “Ten…and my Ma and Pa made sure to teach me manners before anythin’ else.”

Sombra grinned. “Welcome to our little family then, _mi hermano pequeño_.”

She then turned her attention back to Gabriel. “Hey, what happened to the _gringo_?”

Gabriel’s body stiffened and he sent a harsh glare towards Sombra. “His name is _Jack_. And…he’s with Amélie and the others now.”

Sombra’s heart stopped for a split second. “ _Dios mio_ , Gabe I’m so sorry…”

Gabriel shook his head. “If it’s all the same to you…” He glanced at Jesse, who looked at the ground at the mere mention of Jack. “…I’d rather not talk about it.”

Sombra seemed to read the atmosphere and nodded. “Well…what now…?”

Gabriel pulled them both into an embrace. “We need to find another place to live. The LA Zone is no place for a kid…I refuse to raise Jesse in this hell hole.”

Sombra hummed. “You still have a car?” Gabriel nodded, so she continued. “I heard that the San Francisco QZ is still in good shape. I’m sure you remember our informants up north, Reinhardt, Winston, and Lena, yeah?”

Gabriel groaned, but it wasn’t like they had a choice. “It sure would be nice to see the bay again…”

Jesse and Sombra smiled and the three of them got up on their feet.

Jesse chose to hold onto Sombra’s hand as they walked back to the car. “I’ve never been to San Francisco before…will we be safe there?”

Gabriel looked back at his son. “…I’m sure of it, _mijo_. We can start a new life there…the three of us, together.”

Jesse grinned and his grip on Sombra’s hand tightened. Sombra pulled Jesse along to catch up to Gabriel.

This was the beginning of a new life for the three of them. A fresh new start.

As Gabriel looked up at the sky, now a colorful array of reds, yellows, oranges, and purples, he could have sworn he saw Jack’s face in the clouds smiling down at them. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile back just as the image of his love disappeared.

_Thank you, Gabriel. I promise to watch over you, no matter what._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Writing for the R76 Big Bang has been fun, can't wait for the Reverse BB! I was planning on writing a sequel to this, but it all depends on how much free time I have to write. Thank you for reading!


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